Bolivia faces fuel shortages and increases demand in Corumbá

The fuel shortage faced by Bolivia in the last four days has changed the routine at the border and affected commerce in Corumbá (MS). Residents of the neighboring country, especially Puerto Quijarro, have been crossing the border with Brazil in search of gasoline and diesel to get around.

At Corumba stations, the impact is immediate. Throughout the week, the flow of vehicles with foreign license plates increased steadily, boosting local sales.

"Everyone puts in what they have in their pocket, but it has been a significant sale for us compared to our previous days without this stop in Bolivia. Sales increased by around 40%", highlights administrative manager Alessandro Moraes.

Despite the increase in demand, the structure of the city's service stations has been able to cope with the demand, which includes everything from passenger cars and vans to fleets of Bolivian trucks.

"Small cars and vans demand more gasoline, but there are also fleet trucks from Bolivia that, when they come, fill up with diesel. We are able to respond because we have a great structure and a sufficient number of employees and gas station attendants, so we are not having any problems", reinforces Moraes.

Long queues and impacts on routine

Queue of Bolivian cars in Corumbá — Photo: TV Morena

On the Bolivian side of the border, the situation is critical. Drivers report kilometer-long queues on the sides of highways, where vehicles spend days stopped on the side of the road waiting for fuel.

Meanwhile, tankers with a maximum capacity of 25 thousand liters are gradually arriving in an attempt to normalize regional supply.

Faced with the strike, many residents resorted to improvised alternatives. Trader Rosa Silez has had her car stuck in line for two days and had to go to Corumbá to guarantee a gallon of fuel.

"I came to Corumbá yesterday, I got 10 liters with my daughter's car. Then I bought 10 liters to fuel the car, otherwise it won't work", he says.

The fuel supply crisis has worsened in recent days after the interruption of gasoline and diesel transport by tanker trucks.

According to the Bolivian state-owned company YPFB, the lack of this transport compromised the distribution of fuel to stations and caused queues in Santa Cruz and other regions of the country.

On September 30, the company announced an agreement with carrier representatives to gradually resume service.

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